Video: OBA C20 Candidate Michael Fahy
[Updated] The One Bermuda Alliance [OBA] is holding a press conference this afternoon [Jan 30] where they are expected to announce a candidate for the upcoming 2025 General Election. We will have additional coverage later on and in the meantime the live video is below.
Update: The OBA announced that their candidate for Constituency 20 Pembroke South West is Michael Fahy This marks a return to politics for Mr Fahy, who previously served as an OBA Senator and Minister. C20 — which the OBA have won with over 78% of the vote in the last three elections — will also be contested by the PLP’s Iesha Musson and independent candidate Vic Ball.
Update 1.11pm: Michael Fahy’s full statement follows below:
Thank you all for coming today and joining me for the announcement as the OBA candidate for Constituency 20 Pembroke Southwest.
First of all I thank the support of my wife Eimear, my children Aydin, Nasser, Zarah and Éirinn, the rest of my family and my late father who passed in February last year. Today in fact would’ve been my parents 50th wedding anniversary.
Also let me thank Susan Jackson who served her constituency well and was an excellent representative for the people of C 20.
And also the OBA leaders and other candidates who I have discussed this candidacy with in frank discussions.
For me, it has been a journey to get to this space to be chosen by the One Bermuda Alliance to run in a general election.
For some this decision may seem strange given some of the events between 2012 and 2017 and my inevitable attachment to many, especially the One Bermuda Alliance’s efforts on immigration reform.
Over the years there have been many who have vilified what I and the OBA attempted to do, so let me address some of those matters upfront.
I think it’s very important to remember that after the 2012 election the OBA came into Government and things were really not what they should have been.
We were put into an unenviable position of having to examine ways in which to bring money and income into the country, keep money and people from leaving and also increase our population.
One of those ideas to try and achieve the goal of encouraging people and capital to remain was to offer PRC to those who had been in Bermuda for 15 years and status to those who had been here for 20 years plus. That is hardly “opening the floodgates” when the very people that would have applied were already here.
The truth is the word floodgate is a political phrase to undermine progress. Period. The aim was always to ensure we prevented emigration – the plan would essentially help Bermudians by keeping capital and money on the island, increase the tax base and our pension pool. Over the years that narrative has changed into me and the OBA being anti-Bermudian – Nothing could be further from the truth – especially having at the time 3 Bermudian children, now four.
Frankly the OBA, a party I helped to found, has done a poor job in trying to explain what we were doing.
Since then the current government has in fact made similar announcements about the state of our economy, and the need for 8000 or so new people to come to our shores. Numerous comments have been made by any number of alphabet groups that immigration is required to have a sustainable economy and I would say that in fact, many of the policies that were being pursued back in 2012 to 2017 have seen their way through to today, including a civil penalties regime and revamped work permit policy. Immigration need not be such a poisoned word.
What has been a game changer for me has been the number of people who have spoken to me over the last number of years telling me me how they got it wrong in terms of what we were trying to do – including some who were on front line protests. I also accept things could have been done differently by me and the OBA and have said as much. Thank you. It means a lot to have those discussions
With that said I am not here today to continuously go back and look all at the of the past events. I am far from perfect and have put my hands up and accepted failings and accepted where we could have done better.
Sometimes people’s perceptions are their reality. And I take the view once you have an opportunity to meet me and chat with me, you will not see the person that at times had a picture of me painted in the media of a villain – in fact like all of us I have friends in the PLP, FDM and with independents.
What I am here today to do is look to the future and that is why I put my name forward to represent the people of Constituency 20 and do a job for all.
As I’ve said I have enjoyed any number of conversations over the last number of years explaining certain policies assisting where I can and yes, in some circumstances, giving guidance to supporters of the current government. That is the nature of Bermuda and what I’m looking to do here is to stand up for all Bermudians.
If in Government we will listen – we will have a broad church to get the best for all of us. If in opposition we can still agree where agreement is a good idea. However it is also important to put forward alternative visions and alternative views for open and healthy debate – after all, that’s what democracy is about.
I am an individual who will listen and when I was a government minister, I did a lot of listening. I also took and made many decisions from assisting to get the St Regis hotel going, the Loren built, to helping get the triathlon World Series events to come to Bermuda when I was part of a team with with Flora Duffy, and I helped reduce grocery bills by 10% for 18 months on Wednesdays. I introduced minicar legislation, the UNESCO World Heritage Fund for St George’s and was part of a team that got cruise-ships to St George’s with a dedicated NCL ferry – all of which are still intact.
Decisions were made and there are numerous, but we have to stand by those decisions. What I’m looking to today is to say we’re here to listen. We’re here to assist. We’re here to represent the people of this wonderful and beautiful island.
My wife Eimear and my almost 8 month old daughter Érinn are also here today (my other three children are in school) – part of doing this is because I, like everyone , want a secure and happy future for their children.
And I know that I can contribute to that and should the voters of C 20 choose me I look forward to representing them.
Your past does not define you.
For full coverage of the 2025 Election and past elections, visit the links below, with comprehensive coverage available on our network website BermudaElections.com, the leading source of data and election videos.
- All: Our coverage of the 2025 General Election here
- 2025 Candidates: List of candidates confirmed so far here
- Constituencies: Data/past results of all 36 constituencies
- Videos: Over 200 videos spanning multiple elections here
- Official: The Government’s election website here
- Comprehensive: Our BermudaElection.com website here
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WOW. The OBA is DUMB.
What because they want someone with a view in their party?
Fahy is a very bright guy and very experienced, pleasing to see him return.
No they are not. Fahy actually is a critical thinker and there is no one on the PLP side that actually has a critical mind to rationally think and talk about things.
But the people won’t be dumb. Not anymore.
Actually surprised and maybe a gamble . Some say he didnt put Bermudians first but look at what the plp are trying to put in place with foreign workers but he has ideas and knows how to take ideas to implementation …alone by himself he probably can achieve more than the 36 that call themselves government. How did we get to where we are today somebody spent a real lot of money and what do we have to show for it a very racially divided community an economy hanging by a thread , a disastrous infrastructure, Education tanking and no real future. Tourism disarray
Time to GO
Time to G0
It was the PLP members who when asked questions stormed out as they were unable to answer questions !
Grocery bills by 10%… BS, you mean 5% more!!
Loren… let’s not go there,
how about the pathway to status, that the OBA didn’t want to consult with the opposition at the time!!
The airport deal that was pass through the House of Assembly at 5AM and led to the saddest day in our history PEPPER STRAY!!!
You never left the OBA, as you said working behind the scenes!!
OBA is the party that negotiated with the grocery stores to give 10% off.
Loren? What about St. Regis? It was a bad deal until the PLP was in power when it was ribbon cutting. Didn’t the green machine look fly in their suits and no masks nor social distancing through covid? They’ve given away FAR FAR more to SP.
Same pathways that the PLP are literally selling?!!
The PLP is signing away real estate too! What’s that doing for Bermudians owning a piece of the rock?
The airport deal that the PLP had an independent review of and was deemed to be fair? The one they could’ve stopped but didn’t? The one the PLP baited the public to believe it was the devil and a government party told the people to break the law and block parliament/democracy?
https://bernews.com/2014/06/ministry-clarifies-10-grocery-shopping-discount/
“The discount was announced in last year’s Throne Speech, which said: “The MarketPlace, Supermart and Lindo’s will expand food cost relief by introducing 10% discounted shopping on Wednesdays for one year with effect from 1 December 2013.”
“how about the pathway to status, that the OBA didn’t want to consult with the opposition at the time!!”
The PLP would not even allow debate. Instead its supporters surround Sessions House and prevent MPs from entering. The PLP would not even allow a debate on Pathways to Status. That is PLP democracy in action.
Did Fahy order the Police to use pepper spray? NO, he couldn’t. The police make that decision. The airport deal saved millions for this country. The PLP would have never got it done, and if they did it would be another big rip-off.
Yup OBA is finished. They dug up this ghost just to lose huh? Nobody forgot the garbage this dude was trying to implement when he was minister..this is going to end BADLY for the OBA/UBP… im just waiting on Donkey to come out of retirement all of a sudden
Oh you mean the same ‘garbage’ that the PLP re-purposed last year because Fahy was right on what immigration needs?
Yes I thought so. Some voters deserve their party.
Opposition Leader, I have to disagree with you on your first point – perception is everything. Mike might be a good person with great intentions BUT how he is perceived is the most important thing in his candidacy. I am a black swing voter (the actual demographic the OBA need to win the election) and this infuriates me! I do not forget the Pathways to Status chaos and his role in it. I do not forget his distasteful statements during that ordeal and how he tried to get that vote done under the cloak of secrecy.
This is a bad look on behalf of the OBA – but you put him in a safe seat so it’s the HOUSE for him anyway – congratulations Fahy! You finally get to put those 2 letters behind your name – - what you have been waiting for years to do!
“perception is everything. Mike might be a good person with great intentions BUT how he is perceived is the most important thing in his candidacy”
That is absolutely, perfectly true.
UBP//oba is the true!
The Pathways to status chaos was as a result of the PLP stirring up emotions for their political benefit using their created “The peoples campaign” group (yep what happened to them!) . Please don’t tell me you are blind to that.
Hayward said we need 8000 people , they have been doing this , but failing in their target.
Your UBPOBA is back. Time to remove the ghost sheets. Now you understand why so many black members and supporters left the party!
This may be the single biggest blunder the OBA has ever made. And sadly, it isn’t because Fahy isn’t a bad candidate nor was the Pathways to Status initiative bad in and of it self.
However, unfortunately, the perceptions surrounding Fahy made by the PLP will only serve as a means by which to throw any sound or reasonable discussion out the window.
What was the lady there for?
There seem to be a lot of fragile people on here crying about Mike’s candidacy lol. Grow up you lot.
Also, PLP supporters really need to look at the stats of how many expats have received BOTC and Bermuda status in recent years under this PLP Govt. You folks really need to read up on this instead of just taking what The Burt show just tells you as truth. The PLP have been working VERY hard at making sure those numbers have ticked up. Oh please.
It’s the audacity for me. Bermuda electorate, do not be fooled again…please. When someone shows you who they are, believe them! Somehow the American voters didn’t see this coming either…